Policy Exchange Policy Silicon Cities Cities Silicon Supporting the development of tech clusters outside London and the South East of England Eddie Copeland and Cameron Scott Silicon Cities Supporting the development of tech clusters outside London and the South East of England Eddie Copeland and Cameron Scott Policy Exchange is the UK’s leading think tank. We are an educational charity whose mission is to develop and promote new policy ideas that will deliver better public services, a stronger society and a more dynamic economy. Registered charity no: 1096300. Policy Exchange is committed to an evidence-based approach to policy development. We work in partnership with academics and other experts and commission major studies involving thorough empirical research of alternative policy outcomes. We believe that the policy experience of other countries offers important lessons for government in the UK. We also believe that government has much to learn from business and the voluntary sector. Trustees Daniel Finkelstein (Chairman of the Board), David Meller (Deputy Chair), Theodore Agnew, Richard Briance, Simon Brocklebank-Fowler, Robin Edwards, Richard Ehrman, Virginia Fraser, David Frum, Edward Heathcoat Amory, Krishna Rao, George Robinson, Robert Rosenkranz, Charles Stewart-Smith and Simon Wolfson. About the Authors Eddie Copeland – Head of Unit @EddieACopeland Eddie joined Policy Exchange as Head of the Technology Policy Unit in October 2013. Previously he has worked as Parliamentary Researcher to Sir Alan Haselhurst, MP; Congressional intern to Congressman Tom Petri and the Office of the Parliamentarians; Project Manager of global IT infrastructure projects at Accenture and Shell; Development Director of The Perse School, Cambridge; and founder of web startup, Orier Digital. He has a degree in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Bristol, and a Master’s in International Relations from the University of Leicester. Cameron Scott – Research Fellow @CameronScottPX Joining Policy Exchange in November 2012, Cameron assisted with projects across all units before becoming Research Fellow in the Technology Policy Unit. Cameron graduated with a BA in Political Science from the University of Birmingham, writing his thesis on the role of the internet campaign in US presidential elections. About the Technology Policy Unit Policy Exchange’s Technology Policy Unit helps politicians and policymakers unlock the potential of technology: for an innovative digital economy, a smarter public sector and a stronger society. For more information about our work, visit: policyexchange.org.uk/technology-policy or contact Head of Unit, Eddie Copeland, at: [email protected]/020 7340 2650. © Policy Exchange 2014 Published by Policy Exchange, Clutha House, 10 Storey’s Gate, London SW1P 3AY www.policyexchange.org.uk ISBN: 978-1-907689-81-9 Printed by Heron, Dawson and Sawyer Designed by Soapbox, www.soapbox.co.uk 2 | policyexchange.org.uk Contents About the Authors 2 Acknowledgements 4 Executive Summary 5 Introduction 10 1 The Current and Growing Importance of Technology for the UK 13 2 What Are Clusters and Why Do They Matter? 19 3 What Do Tech Clusters Need to be Successful? 23 4 Lessons From the UK’s Existing Clusters 26 5 Overview of UK Government Policy 35 6 The European Dimension 38 7 Policy Evaluation 40 8 How Can Government Best Support Tech Clusters? 51 9 Policy Recommendations 55 Appendix 60 policyexchange.org.uk | 3 Acknowledgements Policy Exchange would like to thank the wide range of individuals, businesses and other organisations that shared their ideas, perspectives and insights during the course of our work. Any errors and omissions remain, of course, our own. We are particularly grateful to our sponsors, BVCA and CCIA, and our Unit Partner, Fujitsu, for the support, challenge and encouragement that they contributed throughout the project. 4 | policyexchange.org.uk Executive Summary During a speech to mark the launch of London’s Google Campus in March 2012, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, unequivocally stated the government’s ambition for the UK technology industry, saying: ‘We want nothing less than to make the UK the technology centre of Europe. This is the path we need to take to create new jobs, new growth and new prosperity in every corner of our country.’1 The Chancellor’s nation-wide aspirations for the technology sector build upon the government’s broader objectives to help the UK’s regions – and especially England’s northern cities – achieve their full economic potential. Two years after that speech, there remains a significant gap between the government’s vision and the reality of the UK technology sector. Tech companies, tech jobs and the prosperity they bring are highly concentrated in London, the South East and Cambridgeshire.2 On number of billion dollar companies created, Cambridge is the leading technology cluster in Europe.3 London’s Tech City has established itself as the continent’s digital capital. Wokingham in Berkshire has the greatest concentration of technology jobs of any local authority area in the UK.4 With an emphasis on maximising private sector job growth, this report explores what more the UK government can do to support the development of tech clusters in other parts of the country, and particularly in the North of England. All around the UK, cities from Bristol to Aberdeen and from Brighton to Newcastle are working to develop their own tech clusters. To date, none has received the same level of government attention as Tech City. Many writers and commentators have argued that to develop successful tech clusters, governments should emulate the world’s most renowned example: Silicon Valley. While there are undoubtedly important lessons to be learned from the USA’s West Coast, this report argues that policymakers are misguided if they seek, or try to 1 HM Treasury, ‘Speech by the recreate, Silicon Valley in the UK. Tech clusters have the best chance of success when Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon George Osborne MP; Google they build on their own local competitive advantages, specialisms and strengths. As Campus launch’, March 2012 a result, the shape, size and dynamics of the UK’s silicon cities will almost inevitably 2 KPMG, ‘TechMonitor UK: be uniquely their own. This report therefore examines the principles and policies Understanding tech clusters and tracking the UK tech sector’s required to meet the specific needs of tech clusters in the UK. outlook for employment and growth’, 2013 3 Cambridge Network, ‘Study Report overview shows Cambridge is Europe’s Chapter 1 establishes that the technology sector warrants particular attention most successful tech cluster’, July 2012 from policymakers as it creates and supports thousands of well-paid jobs and 4 KPMG, ‘TechMonitor UK: plays to the UK’s natural strengths in technology, science and innovation. It Understanding tech clusters and further highlights that the sector’s benefits are currently being felt primarily in tracking the UK tech sector’s outlook for employment and London and the South East, with the top 10 clusters of tech jobs all being close growth’, 2013 5 to the M4, M3 or M25 motorways. 5 Ibid policyexchange.org.uk | 5 Silicon Cities Chapter 2 explains why policymakers should focus on supporting tech clusters rather than just tech companies. It shows that clusters are especially good for nurturing the 6–7% of high-growth companies that are thought to have been responsible for creating over half of all new jobs in the UK between 2007 and 2010.6 It gives the example of the Cambridge cluster, which is made up of more than 1,500 technology and biotechnology companies, employing 57,000 people and generating more than £13billion annually.7 London meanwhile has an estimated 34,000 technology businesses, and in the next decade there will be a further 11,000, creating 46,000 new jobs.8 Chapter 3 details for policymakers the factors necessary for tech clusters to thrive. It emphasises the need to achieve a critical mass of skills, businesses and investment; and the importance of community collaboration, research and development, sound infrastructure and strong local leadership. Chapter 4 outlines ten lessons that policymakers can learn from three of the UK’s most successful and established tech clusters: Cambridge, London Tech City, and the Midlands’ Motorsport Valley, each of which demonstrates its own particular characteristics. The report then highlights the potential of three northern regions aspiring to become major tech clusters: Newcastle/Sunderland, Manchester/Salford and Leeds/Sheffield. Chapter 5 provides an overview of more than 40 policies (out of an estimated 650 targeted towards promoting innovation) that UK governments have introduced since 1994, and which have a significant impact on the development of tech clusters. Chapter 6 examines the European dimension, citing developments in European tech clusters such as Helsinki, Stockholm and Berlin, and highlighting how the success of the UK’s clusters is affected by policies and regulations at a European Union level. The specific example of the draft European General Data Protection Regulation is given, which if introduced in its current form could result in a nine-fold increase in legal compliance costs for SMEs in the digital 9 6 Nesta, ‘Exploring the incidence sector. and spatial distribution of high Chapter 7 evaluates the effectiveness of the current UK policy landscape growth firms in the UK and their contribution to job creation’, towards